Fracking, a technique designed to recover gas and oil from shale rock from deep underground. 'Frack Off' is a campaign aimed at stopping the extraction of unconventional resources in the UK.

Police and climate protesters clash as police move in on a section of an anti-fracking demonstration outside the test drill site operated by British energy firm Cuadrilla Resources in Balcombe, southern England

"If the government wants to be consistent, it will now ban shale gas imports, threatening a huge number of job losses.

"The government has failed to explain where the two million households in Scotland using gas to heat their homes will get gas from in the future."

But Scottish Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said that fracking “cannot and will not take place in Scotland”.

He cited research that showed fracking would only add 0.1 per cent to Scotland’s GDP and that a public consultation showed 99 per cent of the 60,000 respondents want it outlawed.

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A consultation showed that 99 per cent were against fracking

Mr Wheelhouse added: “The Scottish Government has a moral responsibility to tackle climate change and an economic responsibility to prepare Scotland for new low carbon opportunities.

“Taking full account of the available evidence and strength of public opinion today, my judgment is that Scotland should say no to fracking.”

Chief Executive of UK Onshore Oil and Gas Ken Cronin thinks it is a “poor decision”.

He said: “The Scottish Government ignores the advice of its own independent experts and prefers a future where gas will have to be imported with the damage that will do to the economy and the environment.

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Paul Wheelhouse said fracking "cannot and will not take place in Scotland"

“It turns its back on job creation, skills development, an increase in tax receipts and investment in communities. Over the last 20 years, 30 wells have been drilled and produce gas within the Central Belt, without any impact on the natural environment or public health.

“This is a poor decision, ignoring Scotland’s rich heritage and expertise in oil and gas. It is not based on the evidence from extensive independent research, which clearly states that with appropriate regulatory oversight and monitoring Scotland’s regulatory framework is sufficiently robust to manage onshore exploration and production.”

The ban will be confirmed by a vote in Holyrood later this year, but with only the Tories opposing it is likely to be passed.